Tackling Each Task Totally: How Tiny Charity Managers Can Cope With Wearing Many Hats
Running a small business like a charity can be very tough. Charities can often have as few as two or three employees, and this means that everybody has to model in and ensure that everybody is wearing multiple hats to secure the longevity of the charity or even to get it funded for just another year or so. Running a charity is naturally a very pressurised, yet diverse environment, requiring the wearing of many hats. Managing this overlap of responsibilities can feel daunting, but with the right strategies and tools, managers in charge of small charities can avoid burnout, be efficient, and even thrive. Let's show you what to bear in mind.
Invest in Finances to Ensure Longevity
Sometimes, charity managers can find themselves neglecting certain parts of the operation and focusing on the unessential aspects. The fact is that a charity manager is someone who is an HR, coach, and even a janitor all at once! Balancing budgets by buying essentials in bulk is a great way to prevent last-minute scrambles while keeping overheads under control.
Ensuring wholesale janitorial supplies are in abundance is just as important as the tax side of things. Because when there's plenty of supplies, managers can reduce their distractions and keep track of funds more effectively, which means we have more energy to focus on the mission of the charity.
Prioritise and Delegate Effectively
One of the big temptations for charity managers is that everything needs to be done by themselves and themselves alone. The key to survival is about prioritising what urgently needs attention and what can actually wait. It can be very easy to start firefighting when you have the habit of checking and responding to each new email.
This is a very common misconception in a charity, and we always need to remember that if someone is emailing, is it truly life or death? This is why a tool like the Eisenhower decision matrix can help you make sense of a to-do list and ensure that service delivery, financial planning, and, of course, fundraising never get lost amidst the day-to-day distractions.
Take Time to Get the Right Efficiency Tools
Free or low-cost project management apps for charities and accounting software can reduce the manual workload. It’s a big cliché, but lots of charities can find themselves working with very outdated methods.
When you find a way to automate bookkeeping and other tasks, this doesn't just save time, but it also helps achieve a level of professionalism that will strengthen the charity’s reputation.
Remember the Importance of Self-Care
A manager of a charity is wearing many hats, and this means that stress could quickly pile up, leading to exhaustion that will affect the entire charity. This is where taking breaks, setting boundaries, and more importantly, asking for help when needed, ensures energy is not drained because of the little things.
When you're well rested, you're more inspired, creative, and the charity will progress.
Managing a small charity is not an easy task, but this is why practical strategies are pivotal so charity managers can keep their many hats balanced.
Image Source: Pixabay
